Can opener



BEST AVAILABLE 00px Nov. 16 1926. 1,607,360

w. H. NORDHAUS CAN OPENER Filed June 14, 1926 Patented Nov. 15, 1926.

UNITED STATES BEST. AVAILABLE COP;

ears-Ni" series.

CAN. OPENER.

Application filed June 14, 1926. Serial Hal 115,860.

This invention relates to can openers, having reference more particularly to portable can openers of the type designed to operate on cans having upstanding annu- 5 lar rims or vbeads on one or both ends thereof, and employing a pair of rim-gripping wheels, one of which is toothed or knurled to effectively bite into the inner side of the rim or head and feed the latter through the cutter, and a rotary cutter disc fast'with relation to the-other rim-gripping wheel that'cuts through the body of the can just below the planezof theend. closure completely shearing off the head of the can;

the knurled ontoothed wheel beingfpro-h videdwith a= manually operated shaft rotating thesame, and the rim or head trav eling between the gripping wheels and cutter as the shaft is turnedt I p In the practical use of can openers of this type-it has beenfoun'd that a difficulty in the smooth manipulationof the tool sometimes arises' due to the rim-gripping wheels encountering athickened portion of the wall of-the can, such as a longitudinal seam,- or aduinp of'solder, or similar-obstruction, whichwill not readily pass between the rim-gripping wheels, and thus blocks the 'action of the cutter disc.

In Letters Patent No. 1,592,124, granted to me July 13, 1926, I have disclosed and claimed a structure of can opener which eliminates this fault, and wherein the hub of the cutter wheel is formed with a conical bore mounted on an endwise movable spring-pressed conical bearing member that itself is slidably mounted in a fixed stud or wheel shaft iii the handle of the tool. The main object of my present invention is to provide a simplerand less costly construction that will attain the same result with equal or greater efficiency and will involve the use of a less number of parts. Another object is to provide a construction wherein a fiat tool handle, capable of being completely formed in a punch press, may be used, and wherein the spring that urgesthe cutter wheel against the work may be located wholly within a slot in the handle and between the planes of the upper and lower fiat-surfaces of the latter.

My invention, in the preferred embodiment thereof, is illustrated in the accom- -panving drawing, in whichopener shown applied in open position to the rim of a can; 1

Fig. 2-gis a similar. view, showing the tool-in cutting engagement with-the rim;

F ig; 3 is a plan view of the forward portion of the handle idissociated from the movable parts mounted thereon;

F ig.- 4 -is" an enlargedvertical sectlon,

taken onfitheilineI of Fig. 2, showing the rim-engaging parts in normal working position; 7 7 1 Fig. 5 is -a viewsimilar to Fig. 4:, but showing the outer rim-gripping wheel and cutterdis'c slightly displaced laterally under springlresistance to pass a thickened portion "or obstruction in the rim; and

Fig. 6 isa' sectional detaihenlarged, on

the line 66 of Fig! 1, showing a simple means for staking'the in thehandle.=-'

Referring to 'th'e drawing, 10 designates as-an entirety a flat metal' handle bar, approximately one longitudinal half of which is skeletonized'an'd shaped to form a handgrip 10. At its forward end the bar 10 is formed with a transverse slot 11, in which is located a hard metal washer 12 opposed edges of which 'slidably engage with the longitudinal edges of the slot 11. This washer is centrally apertured to form a bearing for a short shaft or stud 13, fast on the lower end of which is a knurled feed wheel 14. 'slot 11 and mounted on the'stud 13 is a wheel 15 confined between the upper face of the bar '10 and an annular shoulder on the stud formed by a head 16 on the latter, said head being formed with a transverse kerf 17'on its upper end. 18 designates a wing handle, the shank of which is forked to straddle the head 16 and enter the kerf 17, the tines 19 of the fork extending into shank of the spring holes in the wheel 15 whereby the latter is locked to and turned by the handle.

Inwardly of the slot 11 the handle bar is formed with a generally V-shaped slot 20, one limb thereof, which lies crosswise of the handle, being somewhat wider than the other obliquely disposed limb, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Continuous with one end of the transverse limb of the slot is a short lateral extension 21 (Fig. 3) lying toward the slot 11 and formin a bearing-for the neck 22 of a short shaft or stud 22, on which latter Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the canis journaled an abutment wheel 23 that cooverlying and straddling the operates with the feed wheel 14 to grip the rim of the can and rotate the latter when the stud or shaft 13 is turned by the handle 18. Fast, and preferably integral, with the abutment wheel 23 is a beveled cutter disc 24 that cuts through the wall of the can just below the end closure of the latter, in the manner clearly indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. Fitted onto a reduced portion 22 of the neck 22 is a washer 25, confined by a riveted over head '26 on the upper neck portion 22. By this means the bearing stud 22 of the cutter is securely locked in the handle, with capacity of sliding movement in the slot 21 toward and from the slot 11.

Mounted in the slot 20, and disposed wholly between the planes of the top and bottom surfaces of the handle bar, is a V-shaped fiat spring 27. One end portion or shank 27 of this spring lying in the oblique limb of the slot is securely anchored to the handle, preferably by the simple means indicated in Figs, 1, 2 and 6,'wherein it will be seen that the edges of the shank 27 are sli htly convexed transversely, and the metal bordering the longitudinal sides of the slot is compressed or swaged to a tight fit on the edges of the shanlr,an operation commonly known in machine shop parlance as staking. The other limb of the spring occupies the somewhat wider transverse limb of the slot, with limited clearance therein, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and at its free end bears against the neck 22' of the cutter bearing stud 22, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, forcing the abutment wheel and cutter against the can.

In the periphery of the wheelz15 is a radial notch 28, with which cooperates a pin or tooth 29 mounted in the uppenside of.the bar 10. This pin or tooth 29 isso. disposed relatively to. the workingand idle positions of the feed wheell i that, as the handle 18 is turned clockwise, viewing Fig. 11, to shift the feed wheel from idle. to working. position, one side wall of the notch" 28, .throughen: gagement with the pin29, causesa travel -of the shaft 13 and feed wheel 14 towardthe other end of the slot. During this travel, the edge of the-cutter 24 is caused to pierce the wall of the can, as shown in Fi a; but when the feed wheel is in full wor g engagement with the rim and the cutter, as shown in Fig. 2,.the notch 28 becomes wholly disengaged from the pin 29,-and the shaft and feed wheel may be readily turned during the rim-cutting operation. After the can top has been severed, by turning the handle in the reverse direction the feed wheel starts to travel backwardly toward the opposite end of the slot under its grip on the severed rim until the notch 28 ism-engaged with the pin 25.), whereupon the feed wheel and its shaft are. positively retracted by the reverse turning movement, and the severed head and' BEST AVAILABLE com rim of the can readily drop from between the feed and cutter wheels.

The above-described means for advancing and retracting the feed wheel toward and from its work is fully disclosed and claimed in a former Patent No. 1,562,580, granted to me November 21, 1925.

In the event that the rim-feeding wheels encounter a thickened portion of the rim, such as a seam, or the cutter disc encounters an obstruction on the can body, such as a lump of solder, the abnormal pressure therebv created is exerted laterally against the abutment wheel and cutter, which are permitted to yield by the spring 27, so as to passthe obstruction; the spring instantly returning said wheels to normal rim-gripping position as soon as the obstruction is passed. This manifestly obviates the danger of springing or breaking'the bearingstud of the cutter disc as well as facilitating the smooth and continuous operation of the cutter. By locating the spring within an opening in the handle itself, not only is, the spring itself protected against accidental injury or displacement, but the size -'or bulk of the tool itself is not increased- .by the presence of the spring. I

- -1.-In a can opener of the type described, the=combination ofxa handle bar, feed and cutter wheel shafts mounted. insaidhandle bar. by- .means permitting a. relative bodily separating movement thereof during the cutting operation, feed. and cutter wheelson said. shafts, a spr ing anchored ',at one end to said handle. bar .and formed. with afree end portion ,bearing against one of said shafts .in a; position. to oppose. separating movement thereof from said other shaft, and; means for turning one .ofsaidwheels.

2. a .ca.n opener of the type described, the. combination of a one-piece. handle.- bar formed witha slot, fed and cutter wheel 7 shafts mounted in saidhandleb ar' by ean; permitting-a; relative, separating movement thereof during the cutting opera;

tion, feed and-cutter'wheels .ongsaid shafts,

a spring housed withinthejslot offjsaid handle bar and anchoredat onele nd, tothe latter'and'formed with-a free end portion bearing against one of said shaftsiiifl'a posi-' tion to oppose separatin movement. thereof from the other shaft, an means for .turning one of saidwheels. p

3. In a' can opener of the type described, the combination of'a one-piece fiat handle bar formed with an angular sl'o't', feed and cutter wheel shafts mounted in said handle bar by means permitting afrelative bodily separating movement thereof durin the cutting operation, feed and cutter wheels on said shafts, a spring conforming inshape" substantially to said-"slot-occup'ying the 'latter and at one end anchored to said handle bar and at its opposite end lying crosswise of one of said shafts in a position to oppose separating thereof from the other shaft, and means for rotating one of said Wheels.

4. In a can opener of the type described, the combination of a handle bar formed with a slot, a cutter wheel shaft mounted in said slot and movable bodily lengthwise of the latter, a feed wheel mounted in said handle bar opposite one end of said slot means for rotating said feed wheel, and a spring anchored at one end to said handle and formed with a free end portion bearing against said cutter Wheel shaft and opposing separating movement of the latter from said feed wheel.

5. In a can opener of the type described,

BEST AVAILABLE COF: 3

the combination of a one-piece fiat handle bar formed with a spring housing slot and with a shaft bearing slot at one end continuous with said spring housing slot, a cutter wheel shaft mounted in said shaft bearing slot and movable bodily lengthwise of the latter, a feed wheel mounted in said handle bar opposite one end of said shaft bearing slot, means for rotating said feed wheel, and a spring occupying said spring housing slot and anchored at one end to said handle and at its opposite end lying crosswise of said cutter wheel shaft in a position to oppose separating movement of the latter from said feed wheel.

WILLIAM H. NORDHAUS. 

